Abrasive flap discs are typically used in high pressure grinding applications, such as angle grinding of metals and ceramics. Conventional abrasive flap discs typically employ backing plates that, while strong and durable, typically do not wear down along with the abrasive flaps that are supported by the backing plate. Therefore, when the tips of the abrasive flaps along the outer periphery of the flap disc are worn down, the entire flap disc must usually be discarded, even though a majority of the body of the flaps are still capable of further use.
Various approaches have been attempted to solve the problems related to the lack of a wearable backing plate for a flap disc but all suffer from certain drawbacks.
Therefore, there continues to be a demand for improved flap discs that include wearable backing plates.
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